1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to peripheral devices, and more specifically to electronically generating recommendations for peripheral devices that are compatible with a processor and operating system of a computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the computer industry various manufacturers supply peripheral devices that are compatible with multiple computers and operating systems. Compatibility of peripheral devices with multiple computers and operating systems is made possible through the use of open interface standards. Peripheral devices that adhere to open interface standards are more interchangeable and interoperable than peripheral devices that do not adhere to such standards.
It is known for an operating system of a computer to define a device driver interface for a particular class of peripheral devices, which allows the operating system to access each of the peripheral devices of that class in a consistent manner that is independent of the particular peripheral devices. Moreover, each of the peripheral devices have a corresponding device driver that is typically supplied by a manufacturer of the device, wherein the device driver is computer program code that allows a processor, operating system and high-level computer programs (i.e., software applications) of a computer to interact with the peripheral devices via the device driver interface.
However, oftentimes new peripheral devices are not compatible with a processor and an operating system of a computer, because a device driver that supports the peripheral device and is compatible with the processor and the operating system has not been created. Particularly, device drivers are not created for various reasons, for example some manufacturers of the peripheral devices may not be able to keep up with newly developed processors and operating systems, or some manufacturers may determine that the cost of creating device drivers that are compatible with a particular processor and operating system outweighs the benefit, based on analysis of data generated from end-user surveys (i.e., end-user feedback) in regard to amount usage of the peripheral devices.
End-user surveys are one of the primary methods for a manufacturer to determine compatible device drivers that the end-user needs. However, an end-user survey whether online or in-person is a manual process that requires direct responses from the end-user. The responses received from the end-user may be incorrect, because the end-user may not know the information that the survey is requesting. As a result, manufacturers may recommend a wrong device driver or even undertake development of a new device driver that is not widely needed by consumers, based on receipt of incorrect information from the end-user.